


Mr. & Mrs. Bright - The Beginning

by ProdigalBright1



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:22:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29661705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProdigalBright1/pseuds/ProdigalBright1
Summary: Normally working a case with the NYPD was simple, see the body, find out how the victim died, find the murderer. But when a case takes Malcolm and Dani undercover into his mother's world, Malcolm has to hope that he doesn't blow their cover.When a popular New York socialite couple is found murdered just before a big socialite event, Malcolm and Dani must go undercover as Jessica's newest socialite friends to a week-long socialite event to find the murderer before they try to kill any more socialites.
Relationships: Gil Arroyo & Jessica Whitly, Malcolm Bright & Dani Powell
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

"Mother, I don't know why you insist on still going to these events when you only complain about the fact that people only give you grief for what dad did," Malcolm said as he spoke to his mother on the phone as he walked into the police station to talk to Gil. 

Jessica sighed, "At least I was invited to this event. Besides, I'm a socialite Malcolm, I can't turn down this event just because I don't want to listen to Cricket talk about how Martin killed people." She said not wanting to think of all the comments she would hear from different people at the week-long socialite event she was going to be attending. 

"Alright, well look mother, I have to go so I'll talk to you about this more later. Alright?" Malcolm said as he walked into Gil's office.

Jessica was silent for a moment, "Malcolm, are you with Gil? Or even Dani or JT?" She asked, panic in her voice. Malcolm put his call on speakerphone and sat his phone on Gil's desk. 

"I've got Gil here with me, what's wrong?" Malcolm asked, concerned as to why he could hear the panic in his mother's voice. 

"I think there's been a murder..." Jessica said, clear panic in her voice.

A few minutes later, Gil and his team arrived at Jessica's location and Jessica brought them over to where she found the bodies. 

"Mother, are you alright?" Malcolm asked as he gently touched her arm, he could see that his mother was trying not to look upset but it was difficult for her to hide that from him. 

"I knew them, they were such a nice couple..." Jessica said as Malcolm wrapped an arm around his mother to comfort her, "They were going to be attending the week-long socialite event that I'm attending." She added as Gil gently placed his hand on Jessica's back. 

"We'll find who did this Jess, Malcolm won't stop until he finds their killer," Gil said as Jessica turned and buried her face in Gil's shoulder. 

Jessica had seen murder victims before, like for instance the carousel killer's two victims, and the ballet dancer who died during his ballet performance due to being poisoned, but seeing two people that she knew was really hard for Jessica to see.

"I think it's another socialite," Malcolm said when they were back at the police station and setting up the case board for their new case, "though, as we know this isn't the first time a socialite has murdered people before." He added as he looked at the case board. 

"Are you referring to your dad or Nicholas Endicott?" JT asked as he sat down and folded his arms across his chest. 

"Yes," Malcolm said as he turned to JT who gave him a puzzled look, "sorry, what I mean to say is that yes, both my father and Nicholas Endicott are two socialites who have killed people in the past. Though technically Endicott never killed anyone, he just paid people to do the killing." 

Dani rolled her eyes and examined the case board with Gil, "We're going to need someone or two someones to go undercover to this socialite event to get close to everyone and figure out who the murderer is." Gil said as he turned to face Malcolm, Dani, and JT. 

"I've done undercover work before, I can handle going undercover again," Dani said as she sat on the edge of the table and Gil nodded. 

"Yes, you and Malcolm can go undercover together as a newly married socialite couple. I'll have to inform Jessica that you two will be undercover so that she doesn't accidentally blow your cover since she'll be at this exclusive socialite event too." He said and Malcolm stared wide-eyed at Gil in shock. 

"Not to sound like I don't trust your judgement boss, but do you really think it's a good idea to have Malcolm go undercover?" JT asked thinking about how quickly Malcolm could blow their cover. 

"Malcolm will be fine," Dani quickly said looking over at JT, "I'll be there to help him get through it without blowing our cover and Malcolm will be there to help me navigate the life of a socialite." 

Malcolm nodded in agreement trying to help Dani reassure JT that he would be fine going undercover for a week even though deep down he was freaking out since Gil had said that he and Dani would be going undercover as a married couple.

After discussing the case and the undercover work Dani and Malcolm would be doing for the case a bit more, JT, Dani and Malcolm walked out of the room and JT pulled Malcolm to the side to talk to him. 

"You good Bright? I saw your face in there when Gil said that you and Dani would be going undercover as a married couple, you looked panicked." He said and Malcolm looked at the floor in embarrassment. 

"You noticed that? I had hoped it wasn't obvious," He said with a sigh, "don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to be going undercover with Dani... but as you and I both know, I'm not so great at relationships and even though it's a fake relationship, I can still ruin it." He admitted as he looked at JT knowing he was most likely about to receive some relationship advice. 

"You're bad at relationships? I hadn't noticed," JT said with a laugh, "besides, you have nothing to worry about because I can give you some relationship advice over the weekend before you enter a fake marriage with Dani for a week." 

Malcolm chuckled slightly and rubbed the back of his neck, he was relieved that JT was willing to take some time out of his weekend to give Malcolm relationship advice for his week-long fake marriage with Dani. 

"Thanks, JT. I appreciate it." He said as Dani walked over to JT and Malcolm. 

"Hey, mind if I steal Malcolm from you JT?" Dani asked as she placed her hand on Malcolm's arm. 

JT shook his head, "I don't mind at all, he's all yours." He said and walked away so Dani and Malcolm could talk alone. 

"So I was thinking that I should buy some new clothes that'll help me blend in with the socialites and so I figure maybe we could go to some of the places your mother and sister shop at while we work the case today," Dani said, she knew the clothes in her closet would stand out at any type of event that Jessica Whitly might attend and it would be best to do some shopping before going undercover. 

Malcolm rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm probably not the best person to go shopping with but since Gil will be bringing my mother in soon to tell her that we're going undercover, we could always ask her to take you shopping." He suggested with an awkward chuckle. 

Dani nodded, "Yeah okay. If Gil has any issues, I'll just tell him that I can be filled in on what I miss when I return." She said and Malcolm nodded in agreement with her. 

Dani and Malcolm walked over to JT's desk as Edrisa showed up with her report on the bodies. 

"So are you two really going undercover to catch this killer?" Edrisa asked Malcolm and Dani curiously. 

Dani raised an eyebrow at JT, he was the only person who could have told Edrisa since Gil was in his office and Dani had been talking to Malcolm. 

"I may have let it slip that you guys were going to be going undercover," JT said with a shrug as he began to look over the report that Edrisa had brought. 

Dani rolled her eyes at JT before turning to face Edrisa, "Yes, Malcolm and I are going undercover to catch the killer." She said and Edrisa nodded. 

"Well, I wish you both good luck." She said before leaving the precinct. 

Malcolm stood so that he could look at Edrisa's report over JT's shoulder. 

"Do we really think this guy will wait until the event to kill again?" JT asked as Malcolm took Edrisa's report from him to look at it more. 

"Well if the first time he's killed, there's a small chance he kills again right away," Malcolm said to JT as he looked at the report. 

Dani leaned close to Malcolm as she looked over his shoulder to get a look at the report, her shoulder brushing his, causing Malcolm to jump slightly.


	2. Chapter 2

Ainsley walked into the police station with her mother who was clearly still shaken up from seeing the dead bodies of two people she knew. As Gil brought Jessica into his office, Ainsley walked over to Dani's desk where Malcolm was talking to JT and Dani. 

"How are my favourite detectives doing?" Ainsley asked as she stood beside her brother and rested her arm on his shoulder. 

"We're fine Ains, how's mom?" Malcolm asked as he stood up straight causing Ainsley's arm to drop from his shoulder. 

"I was talking to JT and Dani when I said my favourite detectives," Ainsley teased, and JT and Dani laughed while Malcolm frowned at his sister's teasing comment, "as for mom, she's still a bit shaken up from this morning but I think she'll be alright." 

Malcolm nodded and looked towards the closed door of Gil's office where Gil was giving Jessica the heads up about Dani and Malcolm going undercover, as well as comforting her. 

"Hey Ainsley," Dani said after a moment, breaking the silence that had filled the space between the four of them, "I was wanting to do a bit of shopping, you know expand my wardrobe a bit, and I was wondering if you could take me to some of the stores you shop at and maybe help me pick out some outfits." 

Ainsley's face lit up with excitement at the thought of helping Dani do some shopping. 

"Really? I would love to take you shopping! Just let me know when you're not busy and we can go." Ainsley said excitedly to Dani as Gil and Jessica walked out of Gil's office. 

"Well I'm not really doing anything right now, so what if I went with you to drop off your mom at her house and then we go?" Dani suggested, "Or we could bring your mom along with us if she doesn't want to be home alone right now." 

Jessica looked at Dani and Ainsley confused, "Might I ask what the two of you are possibly inviting me to do with you?" She asked as Dani stood up and grabbed her leather jacket from the back of her chair. 

"We're taking Dani shopping so that she can expand her wardrobe a bit," Ainsley said excitedly as Dani put her jacket on and grabbed her car keys. 

"Is it okay for us to be bringing Dani shopping right now? In the middle of a case?" Jessica asked concerned, looking at Gil. 

Gil nodded, "It's fine, we can get started on this case without Dani and we will fill her in when she comes back," Gil said gently rubbing Jessica's back, "Right now Dani's job is to help Ainsley with keeping your mind focused on something other than what you saw this morning." 

Dani grabbed her phone off her desk and put it in her jacket pocket before starting to leave. 

"I'll drive so Adolpho doesn't have to drive us around," Dani said as Ainsley and Jessica left with her.

Gil had sent JT to the location of the socialite event to get the list of names of everyone who would be attending. While JT was gone, Gil used the time as a perfect opportunity to go over Malcolm's cover with him. 

"Alright, you and Dani are Mr. and Mrs. Bright, you are friends with Jessica Whitly and the three of you first met at Nicholas Endicott's Night at the Ballet charity event for the Nicholas Endicott Endowment for the Arts," Gil said as Malcolm took notes. 

"We are bound to have people at this event who were at that event, what happens when they ask why they don't remember seeing us there?" Malcolm asked remembering how his mother wouldn't stop telling him and Ainsley how she hated seeing Cricket at Endicott's event for about a week. 

"That's a simple thing you guys can brush off by asking how they didn't remember seeing the two of you when you remembered seeing them," Gil said and Malcolm quickly wrote that down on his notepad as JT walked in with the list of attendees. 

"I hope you aren't giving Malcolm relationship advice because I already told Tally that we would be having Malcolm and Dani over for breakfast tomorrow so that we could give them relationship advice," JT said placing the list on the table, "that reminds me, Malcolm, I'm going to need a list of breakfast foods you eat so Tally knows what to make you for breakfast." 

Just before Malcolm could say anything, his phone started to go off like crazy as his sister was sending pictures of Dani in the outfits she was trying on. 

"I can only assume that's Ainsley texting you while we are trying to work a case," Gil said as Malcolm started to look through the photos Ainsley had sent. 

"Yeah, she thought it was necessary to send me photos of the thirty outfits that Dani has tried on so far. Oh, no make that forty now." Malcolm said as he continued to look through the photos. 

Gil placed his hand over his face and shook his head, "This family, I swear..." He mumbled since his hand was covering his mouth. 

JT sat down at the table and started to look through the list of the socialites and Gil started to look through the list as well. 

"Hey Malcolm," JT said looking up from the list, his finger pointing at a name, "do you happen to know how long ago the invites to this event went out?" 

Malcolm put his phone down and got up, moving around to the side of the table Gil and JT were sitting at so he could look at the list. 

"Yeah, I think it was just before Endicott's ballet charity event. Why?" He asked as he skimmed through the list. 

"That would make sense as to how Nicholas Endicott's name is on the list of people attending this event even though he's dead," JT said as Malcolm and Gil looked to where JT was pointing in the list. 

"Well, at least we know he won't blow our cover," Malcolm mumbled as he looked through the rest of the photos his sister had sent to him. 

JT chuckled hearing Malcolm's comment, "So how's Dani doing on her shopping trip with your mother and sister?" He asked looking up from the guest list. 

Malcolm handed his phone to JT so he could look through the photos. 

"With these outfits, Dani's sure to fit right in," Malcolm said as JT and Gil looked through the photos that Ainsley had sent to Malcolm. 

After a few hours of working the case without her, Dani returned to the precinct and found Malcolm sitting at her desk while working on the case. 

"So want to fill me in on what I've missed?" She asked as she took off her jacket and placed it on her desk. 

Malcolm looked up at Dani and smiled, "I could always just give you this file that I've been staring at." He said as he got up out of Dani's chair so she could sit at her desk. 

Dani nodded as she sat down at her desk and started to look through the file as Malcolm moved her jacket and sat on the edge of her desk. 

"Go ahead, ask about the shopping trip. I know that's what you're wanting to do." Dani said as she skimmed through the file. 

Malcolm shrugged as he watched Dani, "I wasn't going to ask, I figured it went well with the fifty, I believe it ended up being of photos my sister sent to me." He said as Dani rolled her eyes. 

"I definitely have more than enough dresses for this week-long undercover job," She said as she looked up at Malcolm, placing the file on her desk, "I ended up telling Ainsley the truth as to why I needed the clothes but your sister insisted on all the dresses we got." 

Malcolm chuckled as JT walked over to join him and Dani. 

"Are we talking about Dani's new collection of dresses?" JT asked with a laugh when he reached Dani's desk. 

Dani spun her chair around to face JT who was standing behind her. 

"Don't you start, I am donating all and I mean all of the dresses that Jessica and Ainsley bought for me after the case is done." 

Malcolm nodded knowing that there was no way Dani was going to keep all of the dresses that were bought for her. 

"Well anyway, I was just coming over here to let you know that Malcolm and I planned for you and him to come to my place tomorrow morning so that Tally and I can give you pointers on being a married couple," JT said as he leaned against the wall next to Dani's desk. 

Dani nodded as she turned her chair around to face her desk again. 

"Okay, so what I'm hearing is that I'm picking up Malcolm tomorrow morning before heading over to your place," Dani said as she picked up the case file again.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Dani arrived at Malcolm's loft to pick him up before they went to JT and Tally's place. 

"You're not dressed, why are you not dressed?" Dani asked when Malcolm opened his door still in his pyjamas. 

"I just finished my morning yoga, plus I wasn't sure if I should wear something casual or what I normally wear," Malcolm admitted as Dani walked over to his closet and pulled out a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and his Harvard sweater. 

"Wear this. We're just going to breakfast at JT's so you don't need to wear a suit." She said as Malcolm looked at the outfit option she picked out. 

"Alright, give me a second," Malcolm said as he grabbed the clothes and walked into the bathroom to get dressed. 

When Malcolm was dressed, he walked out of his bathroom, and he and Dani left his loft. Once Dani and Malcolm got to JT's house, JT let them in, and Malcolm looked around when he entered. It was Malcolm's first time at JT's place so he was a bit nervous, but he smiled when he smelled the scent of freshly baked muffins being pulled out of the oven. 

"Malcolm, welcome to our home," Tally said with a smile when Malcolm walked into the kitchen with JT and Dani, "Oh, you're not wearing a suit. You still look very nice though." 

Malcolm smiled awkwardly when Tally complimented his outfit. 

"Thank you for letting Dani and I crash your morning," Malcolm said to Tally who chuckled in response. 

JT walked into the dining room so that he could set the table with the help of Dani while Malcolm stayed in the kitchen chatting with Tally. 

"JT tells me that you like blueberry muffins, so I made sure to make some for you for breakfast," Tally said as she moved the muffins from the muffin tin to a plate. 

Malcolm smiled and nodded as JT and Dani joined them in the kitchen again. 

"I love blueberry muffins and I have a feeling that yours are going to be my favourite." He said as the four of them went to the table to have breakfast. 

While they sat at the table eating breakfast, Tally turned to face Dani. 

"So Dani, JT tells me that you went on a shopping trip specifically for this case," Tally said and Dani shot JT a dirty look before nodding at Tally. 

"Malcolm and I are going undercover for this case and since my clothes would make me stand out, I thought it would be a good idea to buy clothes that would allow me to blend in," Dani explained to Tally who nodded in understanding. 

When they had finished breakfast, Tally led Dani and Malcolm into the living room while JT cleaned up their breakfast mess. 

"So Malcolm, this is your first time going on an undercover case?" Tally asked Malcolm as they sat down in the living room. 

Malcolm nodded and chuckled awkwardly, "First undercover case and Dani is stuck pretending to be married to me." He said and JT laughed as he joined them in the living room. 

"I think you'll do great, "Tally said reassuringly to Malcolm. 

"Okay, I think it's time to give these two some pointers on how to be a married couple," JT said and Malcolm took a notepad out of his pocket.

A few hours later, Dani brought Malcolm back to his loft. 

"Should we go over some of the stuff we learned from JT and Tally since our undercover case starts on Monday?" Malcolm asked Dani as he unlocked the door to his loft. 

Dani nodded as she followed Malcolm into his loft. 

"So with this week-long event, what are we doing about sleeping arrangements?" Dani asked as they sat down on Malcolm's couch. 

"Last I knew, my mother was in the process of getting us a room at a hotel close by," Malcolm said as he crossed his legs as he sat on the couch. 

Dani nodded as she thought about the fact that she's about to spend a week in a hotel room with Malcolm pretending to be his wife. 

"So about wedding rings... We'll need some so that we can make it believable that we're married." Dani said after a short while of thinking in silence. 

"Well, we can always go check some pawnshops, see if they have any good rings in our sizes." Malcolm suggested as he quickly stood up. 

Dani chuckled as she let Malcolm help her off the couch. 

A short while later, Malcolm and Dani arrived at a pawnshop and started browsing their options for rings. 

"What about these ones?" Dani asked Malcolm as she pointed to an engagement and wedding ring set. 

"Those look nice, we should make sure they're you're size first though." Dani nodded and asked the pawnshop owner if she could try on the rings as Malcolm looked for a ring for himself. 

When they found rings that they liked and that fit their fingers, Malcolm and Dani went to the Whitly Estate to show Malcolm's mother. 

"Mother, Dani and I want to show you something," Malcolm said as he and Dani walked into his childhood home with the rings on their fingers. 

"I'm in here darling," Jessica said from the living room. 

Malcolm and Dani walked into the living room and saw Jessica sitting on the couch with Gil. 

"Dani and I made a purchase for our undercover work," Malcolm said to his mother and Gil as he and Dani walked over to them. 

"I'm assuming you brought this purchase with you to show me," Jessica said as she and Gil moved so Dani and Malcolm could join them on the couch. 

Malcolm nodded as he and Dani showed his mother and Gil their rings. 

Jessica gasped when she saw the rings, "Look at those rings, they're so gorgeous." Jessica said as she examined them. 

Gil raised an eyebrow as he looked at the rings. 

"How much did you spend on those?" He asked looking at Malcolm. 

"Not too much, we found them at a pawnshop," Dani said to Gil reassuring him that they didn't go overboard in preparation for their case. 

"You two are going to look so much like a married couple, it'll be upsetting for me when this case is done," Jessica said with a sigh knowing that this was all just a cover and that her son wasn't really married to Dani. 

"Maybe one day soon Malcolm will be back here giving you the news that he got engaged," Dani said to Jessica, trying to make her feel better. 

"Unless Malcolm has a secret girlfriend I don't know about, that's not happening anytime soon," Jessica said and Malcolm rolled his eyes at his mother's comment. 

"Well mother, Dani and I will meet you at the hotel Monday morning," Malcolm said as he stood up to leave. 

"Malcolm wait, are you bringing your restraints for the week?" Jessica asked as Dani also stood.

Malcolm looked at his mother like she was crazy, "Did you not get a room with two beds for Dani and I?" He asked as Dani walked towards the door. 

"The only rooms available were rooms with one bed. I had no other options." Jessica said and Malcolm sighed as he followed Dani. 

"We'll figure something out," Dani said rubbing Malcolm's arm, "We'll see you Monday Mrs. Whitly." She added before she and Malcolm left.


	4. Chapter 4

It was finally Monday and Malcolm was finishing packing for the week as Dani showed up to his loft. 

"Oh wow, you look amazing," Malcolm said to Dani when he opened the door to his loft and saw that she was wearing a long, casual blue dress. 

"Thanks, your sister recommended I wear this dress this morning," Dani said as she walked into Malcolm's loft and sat on the edge of his bed. 

Malcolm walked into his bathroom to grab his toiletry bag and tossed it into his suitcase before grabbing his mouthguard off his nightstand to put inside his toiletry bag. 

"Are you sure I won't need my restraints?" Malcolm asked Dani as he closed his suitcase and set it on the floor. 

Dani nodded, "You'll be fine without your restraints, and if need be, I can sleep on the floor." She said to Malcolm as she stood up. 

Malcolm grabbed his suitcase and they walked out to Dani's car. 

Before they left, Ainsley showed up at Malcolm's loft and he handed her his keys. 

"Thanks for saying you'd check in on Sunshine while we work this case Ains," Malcolm said to his sister as he put his suitcase in the trunk of Dani's car. 

"You two have fun on your case, and catch that killer before he kills again," Ainsley said as she kissed her brother on the cheek, "Also, keep an eye on mom for me, would you?" 

Malcolm nodded as he and Dani got into her car. 

"I'll keep an eye on mom for you." He said before he and Dani drove off to meet Jessica at the hotel. 

When Dani and Malcolm pulled up to the hotel, they saw Jessica standing out front with a drink in her hand. 

"Mother, the event hasn't even started yet. Why do you have a drink already?" Malcolm asked as he took his and Dani's suitcases out of the trunk of Dani's car and placed them on the suitcase trolley that Jessica passed to him. 

"Cricket is staying at this hotel and I know that because I've already run into her," Jessica said as she took a sip of her drink. 

After Dani parked her car, she joined Malcolm and Jessica, and the three of them walked inside.

After Malcolm and Dani got the key cards for their room, Jessica walked with them to their room to see what it looked like and to avoid running into Cricket again. 

Just before they entered Malcolm and Dani's hotel room, Cricket approached them. 

"Jessica, are you going to introduce me to your friends?" Cricket asked as Malcolm pulled the suitcase trolley into the room. 

"Maybe later Cricket, they just got here and would like to rest up before the event begins," Jessica said as she followed Dani and Malcolm into the room. 

Once they were in the hotel, Dani grabbed the overnight bag that was with her suitcase and walked into the bathroom. 

"So if we solve this case before the week is done, are you still going to stay?" Malcolm asked his mother as he put his suitcase on the bed. 

"Why wouldn't I stay Malcolm. This is my world, I'm back where I belong." Jessica said to Malcolm as she sat on the edge of the bed. 

Malcolm sighed as Dani stepped out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel. 

"Tonight we should make sure we start making our rounds of getting introduced to everyone. It'll help us to identify bodies if this killer does kill again." Dani said to Malcolm as she walked over to her suitcase to pick out a dress to wear to the evening's event. 

Malcolm nodded, "We'll be able to put faces to the list of names we have." He said as he pulled the list of people attending out of the pocket of his suitcase. 

Dani nodded before walking back into the bathroom to finish getting ready. 

An hour or two later, Dani walked out of the bathroom wearing a full-length black dress with a slit in the side. Her hair was curled and pinned so that her hair hung over her one shoulder, and she was wearing light makeup. 

Malcolm smiled when he saw Dani and quickly grabbed his suit for the evening, slipping past Dani to change in the bathroom. 

"Dani, you look stunning," Jessica said when Malcolm closed the bathroom door. 

Dani smiled as she sat on the edge of the bed to put on her heels. 

"Thank you Mrs. Whitly." She said as Jessica smiled at her. 

"Please, call me Jessica. Mrs. Whitly seems way too formal and besides, you've known me long enough that we can be on a first-name basis." Jessica said as Malcolm walked out of the bathroom in his new suit and joined them. 

"Mother, do you want us to wait for you outside your room while you change or do you want to meet us at the event?" Malcolm asked his mother as they walked out of Dani and Malcolm's hotel room. 

"We can give your mother a ride to the event," Dani said as they reached Jessica's hotel room.

A short time later, Malcolm, Dani, and Jessica walked into the event hall and were greeted by the sounds of music, talking, and laughter. Dani let out a shaky breath as Malcolm linked his arm with hers and smiled at her. 

"You can do this Dani, I believe in you." He whispered into Dani's ear as they followed his mother through the crowd of people. 

"Jessica, are you finally going to introduce me to your friends?" Cricket asked as she approached Jessica, Dani, and Malcolm. 

"Cricket, this is Dani and Malcolm Bright," Jessica said as Cricket shook their hands. 

"Cricket, you must tell me where you get your dresses. This one is just stunning, and Malcolm can tell you that I could not stop talking about the one you wore to Nicholas Endicott's A Night at the Ballet event." Dani said as she took a look at Cricket's dress. 

"You two were at A Night at the Ballet?" Cricket asked as she looked between Malcolm and Dani. 

"Of course we were, you don't remember us? At that event, we were only engaged but since then we've gotten married." Malcolm said as Dani showed Cricket her rings. 

Cricket examined the rings and scoffed in disgust, "Oh honey, I would have asked for better rings. We're socialites, we're rich, and he buys you those?" She said and Dani glared at her. 

"I like these, I was actually the one who picked these out. Just because we're rich doesn't mean we need to spend a lot on rings." She said before taking Malcolm's hand and leading him away from Cricket, Jessica following close behind them. 

"Is it wrong for me to ask you two to stay for the full week even if it doesn't take long to catch the killer?" Jessica asked Malcolm and Dani when the three of them were away from the crowds. 

Dani laughed at Jessica's question, "You know, it would probably just be easier for you to leave early. Then you won't have to deal with Cricket on your own." She said as a couple approached them to introduce themselves. 

After making a few rounds around the room meeting people, Jessica, Dani, and Malcolm decided to call it a night and headed back to the hotel. 

"My feet are killing me," Dani said as she took off her shoes when they walked into the hotel. Malcolm took Dani's shoes from her and carried them as they walked to the elevator to go to their hotel room. 

"Are you sure that you two aren't dating?" Jessica asked as Malcolm leaned against the elevator wall and Dani leaned against him. 

Malcolm rolled his eyes at his mother's question. "No mother, Dani and I aren't dating. We're just good at our job." He said before they exited the elevator. 

Once Malcolm and Dani were back in their hotel room, Dani grabbed her pyjamas and walked into the bathroom to get ready for bed. 

When Dani exited the bathroom, Malcolm was already in his pyjamas and was climbing into bed. 

"I'm just going to quickly email Gil before bed," Dani said to Malcolm as she sat on the edge of the bed. 

"Well, what did you think of your first night at a socialite event?" Malcolm asked Dani as he sat behind her on the bed and rested his chin on her shoulder. 

Dani sent Gil an email about their first night and smiled when she felt Malcolm's chin on her shoulder. 

"It was pretty interesting, I definitely enjoyed putting Cricket in her place when she commented on my rings though." She said as Malcolm moved back to the pillows and laid down. 

Dani got up and turned off the hotel room lights before climbing into the bed that she and Malcolm had to share. 

"I would like to apologize in advance for waking you due to whatever night terror wakes me tonight," Malcolm said before he put his mouthguard in his mouth and closing his eyes to go to bed.


	5. Chapter 5

Just like clockwork, around one o'clock in the morning, Malcolm woke up in a panic due to a nightmare. Malcolm sat up quickly in bed and Dani rolled onto her back and slowly sat up. 

"Hey, you okay?" Dani asked as she rubbed Malcolm's back. 

Malcolm jumped slightly, forgetting that he and Dani were on a case and that she had been sleeping beside him. 

"Yeah, just had a nightmare. Go back to sleep." Malcolm said as he set his mouthguard on the bedside table and headed for the bathroom. 

Dani sighed and turned on the lamp on her side of the bed before walking over to the bathroom door to check on Malcolm. 

"Bright, I know you probably don't want to, but I'm here if you want to talk," Dani said through the bathroom door. 

Malcolm splashed some water on his face and let out a shaky breath before opening the bathroom door to be greeted by Dani standing in front of the bathroom. 

"I dreamed that the killer, whoever they are, killed my mother..." Malcolm said to Dani as he looked at her with fear in his eyes. 

Dani brought Malcolm back over to the bed and rubbed his back to comfort him. 

"Hey, it was just a bad dream. Your mother is just down the hall, she's safe." Dani said reassuringly to him as he rested his head on her shoulder for a moment. 

"I'm going to go quickly check on her. Just to be safe, and for a bit of extra reassurance," Malcolm said as he quickly stood up to leave the room. 

"Bright, it's one in the morning," Dani said as Malcolm walked out of the hotel room. 

Malcolm moved quickly to his mother's hotel room and knocked on the door, waking his mother from her sleep. 

"Malcolm, what in the world?" Jessica asked when she opened the door and saw Malcolm standing there, relief washing over him. 

"You're okay..." Malcolm said with a sigh of relief as Jessica looked at Malcolm confused. 

"Malcolm had a nightmare, and he needed to check to make sure it was only a nightmare," Dani said to Jessica as she joined Malcolm in front of Jessica's hotel room. 

Jessica nodded in understanding, "I'm okay Malcolm, you don't need to worry." She said as she placed a hand on Malcolm's arm. 

"I think I would feel more comfortable and at ease, if Gil was here to protect you," Malcolm said to his mother who looked at him shocked. 

"Okay Bright, I think it's time to get you back to bed," Dani said to Malcolm before turning to Jessica, "We'll see you in the morning." 

Dani brought Malcolm back to their room and once they were back in bed, Dani rubbed Malcolm's back until he fell back to sleep.

The next morning, Dani got up before Malcolm and got ready for the day's events. 

When Dani left the bathroom, Malcolm was doing yoga in front of the bed. 

"Good morning Malcolm, ready to mingle with the crazies?" Dani said with a chuckle as Malcolm finished his yoga and grabbed a suit from the closet. 

"I hope you're referring to everyone but my mother in that sentence," Malcolm said as he walked past Dani towards the bathroom. 

"I love your mother, she's normal compared to the people we met last night," Dani said as Malcolm went into the bathroom to get dressed. 

While Malcolm was getting dressed, Dani made a phone call to Gil to talk him through the event schedule for that day. 

"Oh Gil, before I let you go, I wanted to let you know that Malcolm is worried about his mother, says he'd feel more comfortable and at ease, if you were here protecting her," Dani said to Gil on the phone, chuckling at his response, "Alright, well I'll let him know and I'll talk to you later." 

Dani hung up the phone as Malcolm walked out of the bathroom. 

"If they don't have blueberry muffins, I'm gonna be mad," Malcolm said to Dani as they left the hotel room. 

Dani chuckled as Jessica joined them on the way to the elevator. 

"All I can say is I'm glad Dani's here to make sure you eat actual food," Jessica said to Malcolm as they entered the elevator. 

Dani chuckled slightly as she fiddled with the dress she was wearing before Jessica stepped in to help her fix the dress. 

"Thank you," Dani said to Jessica as she leaned against the wall of the elevator, "I don't know how much longer I can wear these dresses for." She mumbled as Malcolm stood next to her. 

"Just a little while longer, we'll find this killer and you'll be able to get back into your jeans and leather jackets as soon as we're done," Malcolm said as he took her hand when the elevator doors opened. 

Dani nodded as they left the elevator with Jessica and left for the event hall.

Once at the event hall, Malcolm made a beeline for the buffet table to look for blueberry muffins or any food that he would actually eat while Jessica and Dani walked into the event hall, Jessica walking as if she owned the place. 

Before Dani and Jessica had even made it to the buffet table, Malcolm walked over to them with a huge grin on his face and a blueberry muffin in his hand. 

"Someone's happy that he got his muffin, I hope you're going to be just as happy when we catch our killer," Dani said before heading to grab some food. 

"Good morning, and how are my three favourite people doing this morning?" Cricket said as she approached Jessica, Dani, and Malcolm when they sat down at a table together. 

"Your favourite people? Are you serious right now Cricket?" Jessica asked before taking a sip of the mimosa she had with her breakfast. 

Cricket sat down in an empty seat that was at their table. 

"Why of course I'm serious, why wouldn't I be serious?" She said as Jessica and Dani glared at her. 

"Cricket, I think it's about time that you leave," Malcolm said as he took a bite of his muffin, knowing that Dani and his mother didn't want Cricket there. 

Cricket scoffed as she stood up and left, a smile appearing on Jessica's face once Cricket was off bugging someone else.

As Dani, Jessica and Malcolm sat eating their breakfast, Dani got a text from Gil. 

"Gil texted, JT ran a background check on everyone we met last night..." Dani said as she looked at her phone, "He also said that he's coming by later to discuss some stuff with us." She added as she looked at Malcolm and his mother. 

"Is that something we should worry about? We can bring my mother back to the hotel right now." Malcolm said as he stood to leave as soon as possible. 

"Malcolm, it's fine. We'll be slipping out at lunch." Dani said as she placed her hand on Malcolm's to try to calm him from the freak out he was starting to have. 

Malcolm glanced down at Dani's hand on his, forgetting for a moment that they were undercover as a married couple. 

"Okay, yeah. I'm overreacting." Malcolm said as he sat back down at the table to let Dani and his mother finish their breakfast. 

After breakfast was finished, Malcolm and Dani made some more rounds around the event hall, meeting more of the guests at the event. 

"The next person to comment about my rings is going to get punched," Dani said to Malcolm as they joined his mother a short time later to head back to the hotel. 

Malcolm chuckled at Dani's comment, "I think it's about time we get you out of here for the time being." He said as they headed back to the hotel. 

Once they got to the hotel, Gil was standing in the lobby waiting for them. 

"Gil, I knew you were coming but I didn't think you would be here already," Jessica said with a smile to Gil as she approached him. 

Gil smiled as Jessica kissed his cheek, "Yeah, I figured it was best to get here before you guys came back." He said as he looked at Dani who was clearly uncomfortable in her dress. 

"Why don't the three of you head to Jessica's room, I need to change out of these clothes," Dani said as they headed to the elevator. 

Gil, Jessica and Malcolm went to Jessica's hotel room and once Dani was in her own clothing instead of a dress, she joined them. 

"You said you had something to discuss with us?" Malcolm asked as he sat on his mother's hotel room bed. 

Gil handed Malcolm a file, as Dani joined Malcolm on the bed to look through the file. 

"I thought something was off about this guy, I saw him this morning watching the three of us. Made me think Malcolm wasn't overreacting last night from his nightmare." Dani said as she looked at the picture of the man from the file Malcolm was handed. 

"When we met him last night, he was with a woman. She was Dani's height, blonde, she wore heels, and a short dress. I'd say it was a little too short for a socialite event." Malcolm said as he remembered when they met the guy the night before. 

Gil raised an eyebrow at Malcolm before looking at Dani who shrugged, not really knowing how accurate Malcolm's description was as she hadn't paid much attention to what the woman looked like.


	6. Chapter 6

Dani, Jessica and Malcolm skipped over the afternoon's events, though Dani didn't like the idea in the least. Instead, they went to get Gil a suit so that he could be Jessica's plus one for the night's events. 

Later, Malcolm, Dani, Jessica and Gil entered the event hall just before dinner. Jessica and Dani were wearing different dresses, Dani was wearing another she found uncomfortable but she endured the discomfort to keep her cover. 

As Jessica, Gil, Dani, and Malcolm sat down at an empty table, Cricket quickly approached them as if to tell them the latest gossip. 

"Who's this? I don't remember being informed of a plus one." Cricket said as she stood next to Gil's chair, her hand on his shoulder. 

Jessica glared at Cricket who quickly removed her hand from Gil's shoulder. 

"You don't need to be informed of a plus one, Cricket. This isn't your event." Jessica said sternly to Cricket, as much as she wanted to stay for the full week, Cricket was really making Jessica want to leave at that very moment. 

Gil turned to Jessica, he could sense she was stressed out so he rubbed her back to calm her down. 

"Well anyway, it was nice to meet your plus one, even if I didn't get his name. I hope I'll be seeing more of him during the week." Cricket said as she winked at Gil before leaving the table. 

Dani rolled her eyes as she leaned her head on Malcolm's shoulder. 

"Shall we go to the buffet table to get some dinner?" Malcolm asked as he put his arm around Dani's waist. 

His mother and Gil nodded as they stood up and headed to the buffet table and Dani lifted her head from Malcolm's shoulder and smiled at him before standing to join Gil and Jessica at the buffet table.

After dinner, Dani and Malcolm decided to mingle with some of the event-goers while keeping an eye on the man that was in the file Gil had given them that afternoon. 

"There's the woman he was with yesterday, I'm gonna go talk to her," Dani said when she spotted the woman that Malcolm had described who was with their potential suspect. 

Malcolm nodded as Dani left him to mingle on his own. 

"Malcolm, your wife is quite lovely," Cricket said as she approached Malcolm when he was alone, "Though I have to say, I'm quite sure I don't know who either of you is." 

Malcolm turned to face Cricket, giving her a questioning look. 

"What do you mean Cricket? We met at Endicott's charity event, you know 'A Night at the Ballet'?" Malcolm said as he quickly tried to remember what his mother had said about that night, "You stood right near the stage as we watched the ballet performance and that poor dancer who died, coughed up blood on you." He added when he remembered how his mother constantly mentioned that to him and his sister. 

Cricket gave Malcolm a look of disgust for bringing that up, but instead of saying anything more, she walked away to find someone else to bother. 

Malcolm let out a sigh of relief as Dani walked back over to him. 

"You good?" She asked as they walked over to Jessica and Gil. 

"Yeah, Cricket was starting to get suspicious of us but I think I saved our cover," Malcolm said as they joined his mother and Gil.

When they got back to the hotel that night, Jessica and Gil joined Malcolm and Dani in their hotel room to discuss the night's events. 

"So it seems that woman is just as suspicious of him as we are. I talked to her tonight, and when I asked her if he had an alibi for the time of the murder of that couple, she said that he was out with that couple." Dani said after walking out of the bathroom from changing into her pyjamas for the night. 

"So now we have to find him and arrest him before he can kill again," Gil said with a sigh as he got up off Malcolm and Dani's bed. 

"Well unless he gets tipped off, we should be able to make the arrest tomorrow morning," Dani said to Gil before turning to look at Jessica, "and judging by the events of today, I think Jessica will be ready to go home after the arrest. I know I definitely will." She added with a chuckle and Jessica smiled at her. 

"Alright everyone, get some sleep and I'll let JT know to join us at the event hall in the morning," Gil said as he opened the hotel room door to walk Jessica to her room. 

"Gil, can you keep an eye on my mother tonight? If my nightmare is correct then she's his next target." Malcolm said to Gil who nodded before leaving with Jessica. 

"Alright Bright, let's make it through our second and final night," Dani said to Malcolm as she climbed into the bed. 

Malcolm nodded as he unbuttoned his shirt to change into his pyjama shirt before heading into the bathroom to change his pants. 

Once Malcolm was changed, he left the bathroom and climbed into bed, already regretting going to sleep since he was sure he would have another night terror. 

"You ready to be able to sleep in your own bed and not have to be woken up by my night terrors?" Malcolm asked Dani as he laid in bed beside her. 

Dani chuckled slightly as she moved closer to Malcolm and he put his arm around her. 

"I may have only dealt with one night of waking up due to your night terrors, but I don't think that I would say that because of it I can't wait to be home." She said as she rested her head on Malcolm's shoulder. 

Malcolm smiled as he rested his head against Dani's head and closed his eyes, slowly falling asleep. Malcolm and Dani eventually fell asleep, resting against each other. 

The next morning, Malcolm woke up before Dani and got out of bed to begin his morning yoga session. 

During Malcolm's yoga session, he looked towards the bed and saw Dani laying on her stomach while watching him. 

"Good morning Dani," Malcolm said as he finished his yoga session. 

"Morning Bright, sleep well?" Dani asked as she sat up, though she already knew the answer to that since he hadn't woken up from a night terror. 

Malcolm smiled as he sat down on the edge of the bed, "I slept well actually, I think because I knew Gil was with my mother to protect her, it helped me to not have night terrors." He said and Dani tried to keep herself from laughing which earned her a curious look from Malcolm. 

"It's nothing. Let's get ready to arrest our killer." Dani said as she got off the bed and grabbed a casual dress to wear to breakfast. 

Once Malcolm and Dani were ready to go, they left their hotel room and headed to the elevator where Gil and Jessica were waiting for them. 

"JT's already waiting for us outside of the event hall," Gil said as they entered the elevator. 

Dani nodded, she opened the clutch purse she had in her hand and removed her gun. 

"It's a good thing I brought this, I have a strong feeling that I may need it." She said as she put it back into her clutch purse, before closing the clutch purse and tucking it under her arm. 

Once they had gotten out of the elevator and exited the hotel, Dani and Malcolm hopped into Dani's car while Gil and Jessica took Gil's car to the event hall. 

Once at the event hall for the morning, Dani, Malcolm, Gil and Jessica joined JT in front of the event hall. 

"You really gonna take down this guy in a dress?" JT asked when he saw Dani in a dress. 

"She's already taken down a killer while wearing a dress before, this one is at least easier for her to move in," Malcolm said as he linked his arm with Dani's and walked into the event hall. 

Once the five of them were in the event hall, Cricket quickly moved from her seat at one of the tables to the door to freak out about JT being there. 

"Who's this? Why do you keep bringing people who aren't invited to this event?" Cricket asked as she pointed a finger in Jessica's face. 

JT pulled out his badge and showed it to Cricket who stared at it wide-eyed. 

"Ma'am, please stay out of our way," JT said as he put his badge away and scanned the room for their murder suspect. 

"There, he's walking out a different exit with another couple," Malcolm said as he pointed towards their suspect and another couple leaving the event hall. 

Dani removed her gun from her clutch purse and tossed the clutch purse to Malcolm before moving quickly through the event hall while JT and Gil went around through the outside to catch their suspect.


End file.
